⚔️ Vivek Krishnan & Dinesh Shivanna — India’s Defense Tech Reality, Broken Incentives & What Must Change 🇮🇳🚀 Instagram → /carygotthebluesg ambition is rising — but the gap between what we need and what we can currently produce is still dangerously wide.

In this deep and brutally honest conversation, Vivek Krishnan and Dinesh Shivanna break down the hard truths behind India’s military industrial base: our dependence on imports, the missing engine ecosystem, bureaucratic bottlenecks, the myth of “cheap India”, and why wars of the future will be won by countries that control core technologies, not just assembly lines.

From sensors, drones, radars, engines and counter-drone warfare — to the mindset shift required across startups, government, and the armed forces — this episode explains exactly what India must do to build real capability, speed, and self-reliance.

Not theory.
Not rhetoric.
Straight talk from founders who live this every day — building weapons, exports, and deep-tech platforms from India.

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – 03:18 • Why India Still Imports Most of Its Weapons
03:18 – 05:45 • Hardware vs Services: India’s Missing R&D Culture
05:45 – 09:55 • Engines, Talent & The Brutal Math of Catching Up
09:55 – 14:50 • Sensors, Supply Chains & The Fragility of Import Dependence
14:50 – 18:05 • Why Startups Can’t Fix Defense Alone
18:05 – 22:24 • War Readiness, Mindset Shifts & The Post–Ops Ladakh Reality
22:24 – 26:50 • The Colonial Hangover: Why We Trust Foreign OEMs More
26:50 – 31:02 • Deep-Tech, Drones & India’s Counter-Drone Future
31:02 – 36:12 • Venture Capital vs National Security: Who Should Fund R&D?
36:12 – 41:48 • Engines, Aero-Systems & Why India Has No Domestic Powerplants
41:48 – 47:50 • War Logistics: What Breaks When Imports Stop
47:50 – 53:47 • L1 Procurement, Unrealistic Trials & Why Good Tech Fails
53:47 – 57:50 • The Case for Non-RFP, Outcome-Based Procurement
57:50 – 01:04:26 • Export Markets, Opportunity & India’s Untapped Strengths
01:04:26 – 01:08:07 • The Road Ahead — Hard Truths, Real Solutions

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👤 Guests — Vivek Krishnan & Dinesh Shivanna
Founders, SS Defence | Building India’s Deep-Tech & Weapons Manufacturing Ecosystem

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👤 Host — Roshan Cariappa
X → https://x.com/RoshanCariappa
Instagram → /carygottheblues